NEWS
Legal issues top Bowie City Council meetings
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The Bowie City Council took no action on a pair of executive session topics this week involving legal consultation on a personnel issue and a lawsuit.
A called meeting took place at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 9, just prior to the regularly scheduled 6 p.m. meeting. The agenda listed consultation with an attorney regarding the termination of Randy Hanson.
The veteran Bowie police officer was released on Sept. 6, 2022 for what was called “a violation of city policy.”
Neither Police Chief Guy Green or City Manager Bert Cunningham would elaborate on the release. Hanson had been with the department since January 2013 and was a lieutenant in the criminal investigation division.
Hanson filed a grievance with the city following the termination. Per city policy, a grievance committee was formed. City Manager Bert Cunningham recused himself due to family connections. Finance Director Pamela Woods and Public Works Director Stony Lowrance handled the process along with three other employees.
The manager explained Hanson wants to be paid for the time he didn’t work (the period between his termination and the hearing) and he also wants to have his F5 status on his police officer certification changed from general to honorable.
Cunningham said the committee upheld the firing. Hanson now is moving forward with an F5 hearing and also continues the push to be paid. That hearing is expected to be scheduled very soon.
The council also received an update on the McCarn vs. City of Bowie on the lakefront property on the Bowie Reservoir site of Amon Carter. No action was taken on either executive session item.
Read the full story on the council meeting in the weekend Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Trustees of the Bowie Independent School District welcomed one new member this week following the Nov. 5 election and accepted the 2023-24 outside audit with no exceptions.
Incumbent Trustee Jacky Betts returned to place one and Angie Christmas took the place two seat. After the board officers were dissolved with the new ones taking the oath, officers were elected. Betts will continue as president, Guy Green as vice president and Kent Dosch as secretary.
Paul Fleming of Edgin, Parkman, Fleming & Fleming, PC, presented the audit telling there were no issues and the process went smoothly. He noted the biggest change was the Legislature compressing the district tax rate and additional changes in the tax law. State aid formula grants increased due to the state’s funding formula compensating for lost property tax revenue due to the law change previously mentioned.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Information was the watchword for the second hospital/emergency room community meeting Tuesday night, as the steering committee was announced along with additional financial considerations.
About 50 people attended the meeting. Melody Gillespie, who was named chairperson for the committee, said the goal is to gather information to get it out into the community. This group was formed after the Bowie emergency room was closed by Faith Rural Health System in early October just shy of one year of operating in Bowie.
Kylie Ward, one of the public relations volunteers, said, “This committee is not here to force things on you and there are assumptions already we are proposing a tax. We are not, we don’t have that ability, we are just a research team here to explore all the options.”
Other members of the committee include Tiffany Chandler and Damon Benton handling finance and grant research; Jennifer Tellef, secretary; Valerie Tomerson, grant research; Ann Smith, PR and Margin Latham and Gillespie, legislative research. It was pointed out there are other members of the sub-committees who are helping with research, but they also invite anyone interested to help with the process.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Top photo – Jack County Judge Keith Umphress spoke at this week’s steering committee meeting. (Photo by Barbara Green)
The following indictments were filed with the 97th District Clerk following the November session of the Montague County Grand Jury.
There were a total of 13 indictments with one sealed awaiting the arrest of a suspect.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Read the full list of indictments in your mid-week Bowie News.
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